Sen. Bongbong to raise questions on EDCA during public hearing

12 May 2014

In aid of legislation, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr. will quiz resource persons from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of National Defense and Department of Justice regarding the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) recently signed by the Philippines and the United States of America.

Sen. Bongbong, member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, is set to attend the committee’s public hearing tomorrow, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, to present Senate Resolution No. 623 which seeks to inquire into the EDCA.
The resolution, filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes V, also seeks to clarify the contents and coverage of the agreement, and to examine the extent of the strategic military relationship between the US and the Philippines under the said agreement.

The hearing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. and will be held at the Senator Jose P. Laurel Room. It will be conducted by the committees on Foreign Relations and National Defense, and joint-chaired by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Sen. Trillanes.

Invited to attend the public hearing as resource persons were Usec. Pio Lorenzo F. Batino, chairman of EDCA panel of the Department of National Defense (DND); Usec. Francisco Baraan III, member of EDCA panel of the Department of Justice (DOJ); Asec. Raymund Jose Quilop, member of EDCA panel and Assistant Secretary for Strategic Assessment of the DND; Amb. Lourdes Yparraguirre, member of EDCA panel of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA); and Amb. J. Eduardo Malaya, member of EDCA panel of DFA.